The cellular wireless communication system is mainly composed of a core network (CN), a radio access network (RAN) and a terminal. The core network is responsible for the non-access layer affairs, such as, the terminal location update, etc., and it is an anchor point of the user plane. The access network includes a base station, or a base station and a base station controller, and the access network is responsible for the access layer affairs (such as, the management of the radio Resource, etc.). There can be a physical or logical connection between the base stations according to the actual conditions. The cellular wireless communication system shown in FIG. 1 includes the core network, the base station 1, the base station 2, the base station 3 and the terminal. Wherein, the base station 1 connects with the base station 2, the base station 3 connects with the base station 1, and each base station can connect with one or more core network nodes in the core network. The terminal is precisely a user equipment (UE), referring to various equipments which can communicate with the cellular wireless communication network, such as mobile phones, notebook computers, etc., and the terminal accesses the core network through the base station.
The MTC service is precisely a machine type communication service. There is no need of the people participation in the MTC service, and all communication is finished by the machine initiatively. Specifically, in the MTC service, the MTC terminal obtains the data through the perception equipment such as, sensor, etc., and the data are managed by a particular server of the mobile operator or a specialized MTC operator, available to the MTC user or the MTC administrator. Then the MTC terminal reports the data to the mobile communication network, and accesses the public data network through the mobile communication network, for example, the applications, such as, the logistic monitoring, security monitoring, remote medical treatment detection, remote meter reading, etc.
The MTC service has introduced the characteristic different from the traditional mobile communication, such as the MTC characteristic based on group. When the MTC characteristic based on group is activated, the network can control, manage or charge the MTC terminals in group according to the demand of the operator. Like this, the group-based MTC characteristic regards group as the granularity and provides simpler and easier mode to control/update/charge the MTC terminals, and reduces the redundant signaling in order to avoid the network congestion. When the quantity of the MTC terminals is very large, it can also save the network resource by using the MTC characteristic based on group. Each terminal within one group can be in the same area, and/or possess the same MTC characteristics attribute, and/or belong to the same MTC users; and in terms of network, each terminal in the group is visible.
As to the MTC characteristic based on group, when the MTC user signs a contract with one terminal group, the operator needs to set and activate the group characteristic in the signing information of each terminal in the group, and stores it in the home subscriber server (HSS). The HSS is responsible for storing the identity information, authentication information and authorization information, etc., of the user or the terminal. The HSS is further responsible for the signing database of the user and performing the identity authentication and authorization etc., of the user. The service platform can inquire the relevant information of the user or the terminal from the HSS.
When the terminal is attached to the network, the mobility management entity (MME) obtains the signing information of the terminal from the HSS, and stores it locally. The MME is the entity used for managing the terminal control signaling in the core network.
The terminal is usually assigned in one tracking area by the network, when the terminal moves out of the tracking area, it needs to send the tracking area update (TAU) request to the network side, so that the network side modifies the tracking area location information of the terminal locally. When the terminal does not move and in an idle state, the terminal also needs to perform the periodic TAU process, that is: within one period, the terminal sends the TAU request to the network side, the network side monitors that the terminal is online through the mobile reachable timer, and then returns the TAU acceptation message to the terminal, and the next period is entered.
After introducing the MTC characteristic based on group, the current network function is unable to control the periodic TAU of the terminal group according to the signed group information.